Genomic erosion in a demographically recovered bird species during conservation rescue

The pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is an endemic species of Mauritius that has made a remarkable recovery after a severe population bottleneck in the 1970s to early 1990s. Prior to this bottleneck, an ex situ population was established from which captive‐bred individuals were released into free‐livin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation biology 2022-08, Vol.36 (4), p.e13918-n/a
Main Authors: Jackson, Hazel A., Percival‐Alwyn, Lawrence, Ryan, Camilla, Albeshr, Mohammed F., Venturi, Luca, Morales, Hernán E., Mathers, Thomas C., Cocker, Jonathan, Speak, Samuel A., Accinelli, Gonzalo G., Barker, Tom, Heavens, Darren, Willman, Faye, Dawson, Deborah, Ward, Lauren, Tatayah, Vikash, Zuël, Nicholas, Young, Richard, Concannon, Lianne, Whitford, Harriet, Clavijo, Bernardo, Bunbury, Nancy, Tyler, Kevin M., Ruhomaun, Kevin, Grace, Molly K., Bruford, Michael W., Jones, Carl G., Tollington, Simon, Bell, Diana J., Groombridge, Jim J., Clark, Matt, Van Oosterhout, Cock
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Assessments
Birds
Birds - genetics
Breeding
captive breeding
Conservation
Conservation of Natural Resources
diversidad genética
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered Species
Endemic species
Equivalence
Europe
Genetic analysis
Genetic diversity
Genetic load
genetic management
genetic rescue
Genetic Variation
Genomics
Inbreeding
Inbreeding depression
manejo genético
Mathematical models
Microsatellites
Mutation
Nature conservation
Nesoenas mayeri
Pigeons
Population
Population bottleneck
Population decline
Population Density
Population genetics
Population number
Population viability
Quantitative genetics
Recovery
reproducción en cautiverio
rescate genético
Species extinction
Subpopulations
Threatened species
Wildlife conservation
Zoo animals
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Summary:The pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is an endemic species of Mauritius that has made a remarkable recovery after a severe population bottleneck in the 1970s to early 1990s. Prior to this bottleneck, an ex situ population was established from which captive‐bred individuals were released into free‐living subpopulations to increase population size and genetic variation. This conservation rescue led to rapid population recovery to 400–480 individuals, and the species was twice downlisted on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. We analyzed the impacts of the bottleneck and genetic rescue on neutral genetic variation during and after population recovery (1993–2008) with restriction site‐associated sequencing, microsatellite analyses, and quantitative genetic analysis of studbook data of 1112 birds from zoos in Europe and the United States. We used computer simulations to study the predicted changes in genetic variation and population viability from the past into the future. Genetic variation declined rapidly, despite the population rebound, and the effective population size was approximately an order of magnitude smaller than census size. The species carried a high genetic load of circa 15 lethal equivalents for longevity. Our computer simulations predicted continued inbreeding will likely result in increased expression of deleterious mutations (i.e., a high realized load) and severe inbreeding depression. Without continued conservation actions, it is likely that the pink pigeon will go extinct in the wild within 100 years. Conservation rescue of the pink pigeon has been instrumental in the recovery of the free‐living population. However, further genetic rescue with captive‐bred birds from zoos is required to recover lost variation, reduce expression of harmful deleterious variation, and prevent extinction. The use of genomics and modeling data can inform IUCN assessments of the viability and extinction risk of species, and it helps in assessments of the conservation dependency of populations. Resumen La paloma rosada (Nesoenas mayeri) es una especie endémica de Mauricio que se ha recuperado impresionantemente después de un grave cuello de botella poblacional a principios de la década de 1970 que duró hasta inicios de la década de 1990. Antes de este cuello de botella se había establecido una población ex situ de la cual se liberaban individuos reproducidos en cautiverio a las subpoblaciones en libertad para incrementar la variac
ISSN:0888-8892
1523-1739
1523-1739
DOI:10.1111/cobi.13918